"It seems we'll need to dig around for space construction equipment, because frankly the requirements and safety precautions make it sound scarier than giving Grate his pill machine back."
"That happened once, it's not happening again. Stop treating me like a dumb kid!"
Yeah, treat him like a dumb adult!~
Dynamic AUX bonus: +/-1
"Simus, there's an issue with your plan to scan brains. Amazingly, we lack any advanced diagnostic equipment; We can't run any brain scans. I'm going to head to the command center, and look at our camera coverage for now.
I suggest that, after our security affairs are over, better medical facilities be a top priority."
Head to the command center, and check out our camera coverage. How complete is it? Only important chokepoints and rooms? Complete coverage over everything? Something in-between? Ask Aresteve for data on Urban Executor's changling masks, and how to easily detect them. Will a small facial incision or needle prick reveal one? Small electroshock maybe?
Also, use my dynamic AUX bonus to create a simple program which links all of our camera feeds, so we can see each other's activities. DO NOT activate it, but try to design it so that it doesn't need a roll to be activated.[/b]
((FYI, the camera linking isn't my idea. It was PW's the AM's method of dealing with the serial killer mission.))
Cameyes would work to scan heads.
Alternatively, you can just manufacture the machines.
And the changeling masks are pretty obvious if you just grab their face. If the underlying structure feels weird and angular, you've got a winner.
Open that, then. Also ask Simus for the pill machine back.
((Anyone care to share with me what's in the box? Or who it's from? Or anything like that?))
Inside the box is a Gilgamesh action figure, fully articulated and everything! It's got a note attached to it.
Dear Grate,
Remember that weird pill machine you had some time ago? Well, I gave that thing to Simus. After talking it over, we decided it'd be best this way. You may not remember, but last time you used it... very bad things happened. So we decided she should keep an eye on it. She said you might still be allowed to use it, but you'll have to talk to her to find out the details.
To make it up to you, I give you this Gilgamesh doll. I made it nice 'n sturdy, so you should be able to play with it without it breaking apart. I hope you'll have as many awesome adventures with him as I did with the real one.
Stay safe kiddo.
Was signed,
Miyamoto De Bergerac
Anton Chernozorov
Anton tinkers in the robo-arm some more, and suddenly remembers he should probably keep everyone else aware of what he's planning.
"XO, this is Chernozorov. I've visited our local AI overlord and got some answers on our future ability to manufacture amps. We're not going to make them anytime soon, several things will have to be shipped in from off-world, and we're going to need an entirely separate facility that's as isolated as possible. At my behest, Ares has selected a suitable location and compiled the schematics of the facility into a VR scene that I think we'll need to review. It seems we'll need to dig around for space construction equipment, because frankly the requirements and safety precautions make it sound scarier than giving Grate his pill machine back.
Also, Ares has made a report on all of our existing security equipment installed around the complex. It's in VR, and we should probably start our efforts to improve the base security from there.
The sooner we get the immediate concerns out of the way, the sooner we'll be able to do the stuff we really decided to stay here for."
Anton gathers up the disassembled arm, stashes it in a nearby box, and goes to VR.
Enter VR. Start with examining Aresteve's report on base security measures. Note blind areas, any inoperable lockdown doors, etc. Scan for weaknesses in general.
Examine the asteroid facility for amp construction, more out of curiosity than anything. See how much can be built before the required missing parts are shipped in.
Open Tinker, because can't resist. Open the schematic for the Red Hand. The generator or generators used for the spark gap is extremely overpowerful to run the tiny hand laser emitter (it cost me 3 token, and I modified it further), so see exactly how big a weapon can be powered with it. Test a laser rifle, a cutting laser, and a HEP. See if the emitter of the laser rifle can be remade for a reduced profile, so that it can be mounted directly onto the device instead of the hand laser, running at very low power for the electrolaser mode.
In general, much of the under layers,the deep manufacturing and mining systems, are sealed off and autonomous. Drones keep things repaired, machines handle every step of the process, and materials are piped in from other sections. Everything is hermetically sealed, often times lacking a livable atmosphere, and pitch black. The only security these sections have is at the emergency maintenance hatchways that lead down into them. The most recently opening of one of these hatches took place nearly 75 years ago as part of a routine check, if the records are correct. Although, it is noted that there was a large degree of damage done to one of these sections recently and that it was exposed. Apparently drones have been ineffective at repairing it and the damage is spreading. Hm.
The more traveled parts have video monitoring, although it is not complete. The feeds are scattered around, usually at intersections or doorways or higher security areas. There are also tiered security doors: Clearance levels A through G to keep certain areas of limits to those of lower security clearances. It seems unlikely that someone could traverse any extended area of the passages without a camera picking them up at some juncture.
The Newer sections, the rebuilt ones, have near total camera coverage and tiered security doors as well as motion sensors, bio-lock systems and other security measures, including ARESTEVE controlled "Counter Measures", which aren't explicitly detailed.
The Amp Production area is basically just a single production line, a long, straight building which plops out finished amps or manipulators at the end. Most of it is actually quite mundane, standard metal shaping, view screens, electronics, assembly, etc. There are just two parts that are curious: The containment system and the fleshpit.
The containment system is basically just a large sphere of layered metals and self contained systems. The construction details are extremely specific and an annotation, you assume from steve, has been plastered all over several sections.
>If this is wrong, you'll all die.The outer layer of the sphere appears to be designed to insulate the contents from any outside interference, while the inner layer...you're not sure of its function, to be honest. It's basically one long, hexagonal section repeated over and over around the entire inner surface. The machines and power systems all resting atop one another like a layercake and then, below it, in a hollow section at the center, is a long, sharp probe which is labeled a "Olslaov Spear". At the very center, suspended amongst all these spikes is a black sphere simply labeled "Source". The containment sphere appears to have two settings; Passive and Active. Passive is much lower power level, though it still probably uses more energy then needed to power the entire control structure that You and your comrades built here on Hephaestus. The active state appears to only be able to be used for short periods, draining high capacity batteries as the power source and then letting those fill back up before being used again. The "Active" state appears to be the only time the production line can be used, at least to produce the starting substance.
The fleshpit is odd to you because of one particular thing: Normally when you see cloning systems they're labeled as such. The entire process happens in the tube, using artificially created germ cells. These machines are labeled "Incubators" and you don't see any systems for manufacturing the germ cells.
Grate sighs. "I'm never living that down, am I?"
For-Fun Project:
Design a sort of belt-fed shotgun built into a gauntlet. (The belt should also be covered by part of the gauntlet.) Also design incendiary shotgun shells. I don't know enough about shotguns or incendiary rounds to see anything terribly problematic with that, so that should be sufficient.
Only problematic things would be the following:
1. Weight.
2.Recoil
3. Lack of barrel would mean the thing is highly inaccurate over anything more then a few feet, since it would be firing in sort of a rough cone rather then a tight cluster.